If you haven’t seen them yet, many grocery stores are moving to the bulk model for rice, pasta, nuts, and other items that lend themselves well to the bin dispenser concept. Our local store is selling high quality Basmati rice for $1.79 per pound when the packaged version is selling for almost double that price. Whole Foods and other niche type grocery stores have been using this concept for quite some time. It’s an old fashioned concept that has been making its way back into the marketplace as some consumers have become less brand conscious and more value oriented. The one difference in buying in bulk from bins is that you’ll need to wash the items thoroughly before cooking with them. Our local market has also started marketing dried fruit in small packages that they organize from bulk purchased fruit.
The demand for bulk dispensing is on the rise due to the economy, since buying in bulk offers an opportunity to purchase larger quantities of a food, usually at a lower price. The reduction in packaging is also appealing to consumers because of the desire to go green by purchasing bulk products in containers or plastic bags that are less wasteful than their manufactured counterparts.
I remeber a post about bulk beans and rice. I use mobile net so finding older posts can sometimes be impossible. Do you remember the sizes and prices of them on sale? I have found some bulk sizes on both, but am not sure if it’s worth it. I know I can do the math w what I have available at my local store, but it is not a cheap store by any means and lately i’m not sure of when I will get to go somewhere else that is less expensive (I don’t drive.) I like rice, but am still trying to find the best way to prepare it. Beans are so easy and filling. I am always interested in trimming the budget, but have limited knowledge of what’s out there.Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I have purchased my black beans, up until now, in the Goya brand mostly in bags and it has been cheap. You can buy bulk black beans from the bulk bins at grocery stores. The best way to prepare black beans is to boil them in salt and pepper if they are not pre-cooked, of course after an overnight soak. After the beans are done, season them with cilantro and green peppers and combine with rice. This is a cheap and nutritious way to cook.